The Difficulty of Breathing
Jessalyn Hutto
Sure they are simple tasks, but their simplicity and repetitiveness do not make them any easier to get done. This is because at the heart of these tasks is a willingness to serve my family by providing for their most basic needs. At the heart of tasks like laundry, dishes, and cooking is the call to humble service, which isn’t easily obeyed by a sinner like me.
Some days it feels as though these are the only things I do! Dishes, dishes, dishes, laundry, laundry, laundry, food, food, food. There is no glory in this job! There’s only the repetitive motions of service which are rarely seen or acknowledged by others. I often find myself battling bitterness and anger as I wash the dishes we’ve just eaten from, the pots and pans I just used to cook our meal with, and the table where our meal was too quickly eaten as the needs of a fussy baby outweighed my desire for an “ideal” sit-down dinner. Thoughts swirl through my head, seeking to convince me that it is all in vain and all so unimportant. As I scrape the burnt-on food off of another pan I must force myself to remember the beauty in service–in these small, but important expressions of love...
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